BUILD RELATIONSHIPS
Nothing can ever replace the magic of meeting
face-to-face with fellow musicians in the studio
to write or record, but the power of the Internet
and modern music technology has made online
collaboration easier than ever. During my threeyear tenure as the host of The VU Backstage, a
music talk program at Vanderbilt University’s
radio station, many of the student-musicians I
interviewed on the show spoke about writing
songs on a regular basis with musicians from their
faraway hometowns or creative hubs like New
York and Los Angeles. While each discussed the
importance of competence in various DAWs and
Google Drive to making music over the Internet,
the most constant theme was the notion that
effective online collaboration is, first and foremost,
a matter of building a relationship that matches the
strength of an in-person partnership. This truism
holds whether you’re working with someone you’ve
known for a long time or a partner you contacted via
an online music platform or classifieds database.

someone you are familiar with than someone you
just met, because you don’t want to come off as too
aggressive or too negative right away.”

BALANCE SUPPORT & HONESTY
Eli Sones, who appeared as my guest on show three
times, made extensive use of online collaboration
over his collegiate career as one half of the rising
EDM duo Two Friends. The other half, his friend
Matt Halper, attended Stanford. Using mostly
Skype, Facebook Messenger, and Pro Tools, Sones
and Halper overcame the long distance to create
music that has attracted an online following of
118,000 likes on Facebook and 47,000 followers
on SoundCloud. Commenting on the twosome’s
successful online dynamic, Sones cited the balance
of support and honesty that stemmed from the
close friendship he and Halper had developed over
the course of their childhood.

More effective than email, and an important step
up in the collaboration, is Internet video calling
via Google Hangout, FaceTime, or Skype. Video
calling isn’t a first step, particularly with a new
creative partner, but the move away from email
should happen as quickly as possible to facilitate
a stronger bond. A 2013 study undertaken by
three psychology professors from UCLA and Cal
State-Los Angeles found a “significantly lower
level of bonding,” both on a subjective level and in
observations of non-verbal behavior associated
with bonding, in text-based messaging as compared
to video communication.

“In any collaboration, it’s important to be totally
honest with each other and not be afraid to voice
any concerns, criticisms, or any ‘out-there’ creative
ideas,” Sones told me. “It’s a lot easier to do this with

COME WITH IDEAS & THE IMPORTANCE OF
VIDEO CHAT
The key, then, to developing a great working
relationship over the Internet - particularly with
someone you haven’t yet met in person - is to treat
the process much the same as you would treat
a regular, face-to-face co-write. Come into the
conversation with ideas in hand (preferably via an
MP3 or .wav demo that can be easily sent by email)
and spend the first few back-and-forths discussing
what you and your collaborator want to get out of
the project. Even over email, it should be relatively
easy to read a collaborator’s level of enthusiasm and
the personality they will bring to the co-writing
sessions. It’s also a good idea, as long as you go about
it in a quick and professional manner, to establish
how any finished product will be credited and to
whom any copyright will belong.

As effective as online communication can be,
it’s important to know the limits of what it can
accomplish and adjust accordingly. Michael Pollack,
currently signed to Warner/Chappell Music
and Pure Tone Music uses online collaboration
extensively during the school year, and likes to keep

MUSIC BUSINESS

ONLINE COLLABORATION:
Regardless of Technology, It’s All
About Personal Relationships
his Internet co-writing sessions short because he
finds it harder to stay focused. “The expectations
should be low for an online session,” he told me. “I
also don’t like to start from scratch when I write
with someone online…video chat co-writes are
more effective when you already have a concept.”
While in-person collaboration may not be an option
at first, it’s the next logical step, and determining
the level of success or involvement at which your
project requires face-to-face meetings is key to
raising its potential ceiling.
KEEP THE LINES OPEN
Until that point, the most important thing you can
do is to maintain an open line of communication
with your creative partner. Whether you’re
spontaneously sending a voice memo when you
get an idea or following a rigorous co-writing
schedule, Pollack said he would reserve four hours
each Sunday night for Skypes with a partner in
New York. The more time you spend on your
collaborator’s mind, the more invested they will be
in your creative relationship and the projects you
share.
At the end of the day, all collaboration boils down
to relationships, and online relationships are
built through the same steps in communication
as physical ones. The digital age may have made
collaboration far easier, but technology can’t
account for your determination to stay in constant
contact and develop an effective chemistry with
your creative partner.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Zach Blumenfeld is a recent alumnus of WRVU
Nashville, Vanderbilt University’s student
radio station. Over the past three years, he has
interviewed over forty songwriters and bands on
his weekly program The VU Backstage, as well as
contributing music commentary and reviews to
the WRVU blog. He has also worked at Nashville
radio station Lightning 100.